Transcendence
by Roselilia
Summary: Akashi is a grim reaper who is unable to bring himself to reap Kuroko's soul. However, bringing a human back to life has horrible consequences. AkaKuro. Au.


Just an idea I came up with, should be about 3 chapters or so unless I come up with more ideas

Edited by the wonder AokazuSei

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><p>Akashi Seijuurou sighed softly as he glided through the rain slicked streets, his dark lengthy robes shifting all around him. In a deathly pale hand, he held a scythe, a gnarled wooden handle, almost taller than his own, accompanied by an elongated blade curving at the end.<p>

Through the streets, he walked. People with umbrellas passed by him with hurried steps, not even a glance hinted of their awareness. Up ahead was a crowd of people, all of them circled around a crumpled dead male whose limbs were splayed in an unnatural position.

Akashi softly sighed as he forced his way through the crowd, people moving and parting without even knowing why. He crouched down by the bloody body, his free hand rising up and sliding his hood down to reveal a face whitened by death.

Pure crimson eyes stared down into unseeing widened brown eyes; the male's face contorted as if paralysed in fear. Akashi's lips parted as he softly sighed, his eyes shifting to look up at the tall building the man had jumped off of.

"I hope you find the peace you were unable to find in life." Akashi said as he lowered the scythe, the tip of the blade touching the male's chest. When he raised the blade once more, an orb of light rose from the chest.

It wasn't a pure light though as darkness marred the brightness like poisonous miasma. Still, the light did shine through, showing that the soul wasn't completely sullied by sin unlike so many souls Akashi had encountered before.

"As the grim reaper, I will bring you to the boat that will ferry you away into the afterlife." Akashi murmured as he reached out and gently cradled the soul. No matter how mottled by darkness a soul was, they were all the same to him, and it was his job to treat each of them indifferently.

Whatever traces of light that had remained in the man's eyes disappeared altogether, and Akashi stood up, the orb still in his hand. He swiftly left the crowd who was still looking on in horror, and Akashi couldn't help but shake his head.

Akashi raised his scythe and slammed the end of the handle onto the ground. His robes moved, wrapping all around him and the scythe, and within a quick second, the makeshift cocoon began to shrink rapidly until there was nothing left.

At the same time, deep in the bowels of the earth, Akashi reappeared in a blast of cloudy black cloth, appearing in thin air. He landed gracefully on his feet, his eyes immediately looking around. He was at the bank of a huge body of water that went as far as the eye could see, but it wasn't ordinary water at all.

It was black as moonless and starless night, yet if you dared to creep closer, eyes would return the stare. Sometimes a hand darted out of the water and waved, maybe to ask for help, but it's purpose remained unknown as it was always dragged back under a mere moment later.

Right near him was an old creaky boat with what looked like a skeleton swathed in black clothing. The skull looked at him with empty eye sockets, and the body moved with an eerie cracking sound.

The barely hinged jaw rattled before moving up and down as if the skeleton was talking to him; Akashi tilted his head slightly in response, as if listening. He then nodded before moving forward, lifting his hand and offering the skeleton the orb.

The skeleton jerked harshly, its hand rising with an even louder cracking sound before the boney fingers wrapped around the orb. Akashi took a step back once the orb was taken from his hand, watching as the skeleton jerk and then fling the orb onto the boat.

It flickered and suddenly grew; taking shape of the man Akashi had extracted, though he was no longer bloody, and his limbs were not grotesquely bent out of shape. No, he would have looked perfectly normal if it hadn't been for the fact that he was transparent.

Akashi watched as numerous hands suddenly darted out of the water, grabbing at the edge of the boat. They reached toward the soul, trying to take the male, but he shone too bright for the devil's hands to take him into the black water that led to hell.

The skeleton rattled violently, and the hands withdrew immediately. Akashi nodded to the skeleton, knowing his job was complete and that the soul would be brought to the afterlife where he would be purified.

It was another job done. However, it was just one in the hundreds of souls calling for him, pleading to meet the tip of his blade. Akashi idly watched as the skeleton trembled, jerking the boat from the shore, gliding smoothly through the water to its destination.

Akashi turned away before he paused, a small frown growing on his face. A soul was calling for him, which was nothing unusual in itself, but this call was so much stronger than usual, easily standing out against the hundreds of other calls that were plaguing him.

His curiosity piqued, Akashi slammed the butt of his scythe onto the ground, and his black robes wrapped around him once more. He was transported away from the entrance of the underworld to a slow flowing river bank that was in the middle of a city, surrounded by upward hills on each side.

Akashi barely looked around his surroundings; instead, he focused on the loud cries of the soul that called to him. He walked along the rocky bank of the river on bare feet, his eyes picking out a lone figure lying in the water up ahead.

He was young; by human standards, around the age that Akashi himself appeared, a young teen. Akashi crouched beside the boy, carefully cradling his body out of the water with one arm, so he could study him properly.

The boy had inky black locks that framed a porcelain doll like face, his skin pale, although it was hard to discern if it was due to death or if he was naturally pale. He looked peaceful though, as if he was merely sleeping and not dead. Akashi looked around, but he couldn't see any clues to how the male had drowned, making him wonder if it was suicide.

"Let's see your soul." Akashi murmured to the body, and he lowered his scythe, the tip touching the male's body. The soul that came out of the chest made Akashi's eyes widen for never had he seen such a pure soul before.

It was nearly a pure light with only specks of darkness marring the orb; it was a rarity in itself, one Akashi had never seen for a human this age. When Akashi let go of the body in order to cradle the light in his hand, a warmth seeped into him, his crimson eyes widening at the sensation.

"You're no ordinary soul, are you?" Akashi murmured softly as he looked at the soul. "You are almost untouched by the sin that plague most. It would certainly be a shame for you to go to the afterlife."

Akashi was bathed in the ugliness of the world. He knew of the darkness that plagued all the humans that inhabited it. Sometimes, Akashi thought that all humans were innately evil, and there was no hope, and yet, this pure soul was exactly that: hope.

Something so beautiful shouldn't be taken from the world.

It was with one thought that Akashi decided to break the grim reapers' only taboo. With a gentle hand, he lowered the soul back into the body and watched as the light disappear. The body jolted and almost seemed to glow for a single moment.

Akashi watched in fascination as the inky black hair began to fade in color, changing hues until it matched the very water the boy had drowned in. Eyelids snapped open, revealing eyes of the same pure cerulean color, and Akashi watched as the boy sat up, puking water from his system.

Akashi stood up, scythe still in his hand as he left without a single glance. The boy would be fine. But now, Akashi had to face the consequences, his punishment for breaking the single rule all grim reapers had to abide by. The robes transported him back to the entrance of the underworld, but instead of arriving on top of a safe shore, he was thrown into the dark waters.

Hands immediately reached, tugging on him roughly as he was dragged under water, seeing only darkness. Screams filled his ears, ghastly faces with haunted eyes staring at him accusingly for putting their damned souls in hell.

His robes disappeared from his body, taking his scythe with it, leaving him naked and vulnerable. Shackles clamped onto his wrists and ankles, keeping him in place. And then, there was only pain. The damned souls ripped into his body with nails sharp as daggers, easily slicing his skin which healed in mere seconds only for it to be ripped up once more.

Akashi refused to show pain. He bore his punishment well with no regret in his eyes. It was worth it to know that such a pure soul was reborn back into the world; the tiny shred that Akashi saw as humanity's redeeming quality.

It was well worth this punishment.

Days had passed, the excruciating torture, and Akashi was beginning to think that it would never end. That he was truly damned, and this would be his place for eternity, but nearly a week later, he found himself lying on the shore.

His black robes were on his body once more, his scythe lying beside him. The calls of souls plagued his mind once more, and Akashi knew that his punishment was over. It was time to get back to work. With a small pained wince, Akashi stood up, using his scythe for balance.

Akashi knew it was time for work, that he was to go back to his monotonous existence of collecting souls. However, for the first time since he had become a grim reaper, he found himself interested in a human.

The male had plagued his mind even during the torture, and he found himself rather eager to see how he was doing. Even though he knew he shouldn't take interests in humans, Akashi slammed the end of his scythe onto the ground, his robes enveloping him entire.

He had a human to visit.

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><p>Kuroko Tetsuya stared into the mirror. Was that person in the mirror really him? Aside from the obvious difference, his hair and eyes now being a crystal blue instead of inky black, there was something off about him, something that he just couldn't place his finger on.<p>

Perhaps it was the haunted look in his eyes, or perhaps the feeling that he wasn't meant to be here. That he should be lying dead in the cold water of the river, never to open his eyes again.

_Kuroko tried to scream, his limbs flailing as he fought, suffocating in the water. It was too murky to see who his assailant was, but that didn't stop Kuroko from fighting. Water filling his mouth, filled his lungs as he kicked and punched the unmoving dark figure above him._

_Kuroko couldn't understand what he had done wrong; he had lived his life, trying to be a decent person. He had a few friends, no real enemies that he could think of. There was absolutely no reason for anybody to try and kill him, and yet here he was, being drowned._

_Already his vision was beginning to fade, and there was an unbearable burning sensation in his chest. Kuroko's energy began to wane, and his movements grew clumsier and clumsier. Soon, Kuroko wasn't able to move at all, and he felt death creeping on him._

_He thought he heard the assailant trying to talk to him, but Kuroko was unable to hear the words over the roaring of the water. Soon, he lost all sensations except that he was floating in darkness._

Kuroko growled to himself as he clenched his hands into fists, his eyes narrowed. He still didn't know who had drowned him, who had tried to kill him, and he also didn't know how he was even alive.

Kuroko sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, remembering how he had just suddenly woke up by the shore of the river. It had been nearing evening, and although Kuroko couldn't see anybody, he could sense that someone was near him.

He had stumbled home in wet clothes, but nobody seemed to notice him. Not that Kuroko had cared at that point, all he had wanted to do was go home, go where it was safe; which led him to where he was now, in his bathroom and staring at his reflection in shock.

"Maybe it was shock." Kuroko mumbled to himself as he tugged on a lock of his now blue hair. He had heard that sometimes hair turned white if a person experienced enough stress or was traumatized. Drowning certainly fell under traumatizing events.

Kuroko sighed and shook his head, deciding to leave the bathroom and go to his kitchen to eat something before bed. He wasn't actually hungry, but he figured that he should get some nourishment after what had happened to him.

As he began to make some instant noodle, he idly considered calling the police, but he tentatively decided against it. He didn't the person. There were absolutely no clues as to who had done it, and honestly, he just wanted to forget about it.

He would just continue on as if nothing had happened; it was probably just a freak occurrence. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about him, that something was incredibly different deep inside.

Kuroko heard a movement behind him, and he looked, seeing his malamute puppy, Nigou, staring at him. Kuroko smiled, glad to see the comforting sight of his dog, and he immediately crouched down. However, instead of being greeted by happy barks and licks, Nigou stared at him with blue eyes before he began to growl, his fur puffing out.

Kuroko stared at Nigou in surprise. This was the first time the puppy had ever acted this way to him, to anyone really.

"Nigou?" Kuroko asked hesitantly, moving closer only to still when Nigou barked at him as if demanding that he get out. "Nigou, it's me..."

The little dog continued to bark at him, and Kuroko didn't know what to do. He offered his hand to Nigou, risking being bitten, hoping that perhaps his scent would calm him down. He watched as the dog moved a little closer, sniffing the hand.

It was only then that Nigou calmed down, no longer baring his teeth and gave Kuroko a happy bark as if he hadn't been prepared to attack him just a moment ago. Kuroko could only stare at Nigou in confusion before he tentatively pet his soft fur and he sighed.

Perhaps Nigou had just been confused by the different color of his hair and had thought he was an intruder. He was just protecting his home was all.

Still, even with the logical reasoning, Kuroko couldn't help but still feel it had something to do with the different feeling inside of him.

"I'm just tired. It's making me paranoid." Kuroko said to himself with narrowed eyes as he stood up to check on his dinner. As soon as it was done, he quickly ate his meal, so he could go to bed quickly. It had been a long day, and he needed rest to get over what had happened earlier.

Still eyeing Nigou every so often, Kuroko ate his meal hurriedly before he dumped his dishes in the sink with a promise to wash it tomorrow. With a full stomach, Kuroko walked into his bedroom and climbed into bed.

However, lying in his small little bed and staring at the ceiling, Kuroko realized two things. First, he wasn't actually tired even though he knew that he should be. He had just drowned earlier after all, surely that should have taken a toll on him in some way, and yet he felt wide awake.

The second thing he realized was he wasn't any warmer. He had just had instant noodle, the broth hot, and he was lying in bed with warm blankets, and yet his body still felt slightly colder than room temperature. He should have felt extremely hot since it was late spring, but he wasn't.

It certainly didn't help the uncertain feeling deep in the pit of his stomach.

Kuroko rubbed his face, sighing heavily before he closed his eyes and rolled onto his side so he faced the wall the bed was pressed against. He didn't care if he wasn't tired, he was determined to sleep, to get a break from the confusion he was feeling. He would deal with everything tomorrow, for now he needed rest.

Despite his efforts though, no sleep came. He remained wide awake throughout the entire night until the sun began shining through his curtained windows. That's when Kuroko noticed that he felt perfectly fine without any sleep.

His body should have felt heavy, his mind muddled with sleep deprivation, but he felt just as good as he would have felt with a full night's sleep. Kuroko shook his head as he got out of bed, running his fingers through his hair which was miraculously messy even though he hadn't slept.

He began to go through his usual morning routine before work. He made a simple breakfast of toast and coffee, read the newspaper, before he took a quick shower. The shower was quicker than normal; he didn't like how the feel of water against his skin reminded him of drowning.

He was eager to end the shower, and he quickly dried himself with a towel, feeling unsettled as flashbacks of him flailing in the river came to mind. However, he shook it off as best as he could, hoping that the memories would soon fade.

He changed into his kindergarten uniform, making sure he looked presentable, before he left his single story house with a goodbye to Nigou. Being outside and just walking down the familiar streets of the city helped him move on from yesterday.

His thoughts went to the children he looked after, coming up with things to do for the day. He loved his job as a kindergarten teacher. He loved taking care of the children who seemed to love him. They never misbehaved too badly when he was working, and they usually did as he asked.

It was exactly what he needed.

Kuroko was just getting into a good mood when he felt an odd sensation flow through him. It was numbing, as if someone had just dumped iced water on him. He shuddered, his eyes going wide as he looked around, seeking something.

There was something horribly wrong...No...Something was going to happen...Something bad. There were people around him, but they took no notice of him. They just walked past him, and Kuroko found himself looking for someone.

Suddenly, he heard screaming, and he looked around wildly to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. It took him a long while to figure out that it was from him, that he was the one screaming. Kuroko clapped a hand over his mouth, cutting off the sound, but the urge to continue screaming bubbled up inside of him.

Kuroko looked around, but no one seemed to have heard his screaming, they just continued to walk past him like nothing was wrong. He shook his head, taking a couple of steps back, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

He was just beginning to come to the conclusion that he was merely dreaming when he heard tires screeching. He turned and looked just in time to see someone getting run over. It only took a mere moment for it to happen, and yet, Kuroko saw it with agonizing clarity.

She was a middle aged woman, with chestnut hair and kind hazel eyes. She had been crossing the street with grocery bags in her hand and a satisfied smile on her lips. She didn't see the car until it was too late.

The second before the car had hit her, her brown eyes had widened, her mouth parting as if to scream in fear or perhaps for help. But it was too late. The car ran her over.

Kuroko stood frozen in shock, his hands falling limp by his sides. The cold sensation that had wracked his body disappeared as swiftly as it had come, and the urge to scream stopped. He would have felt normal if it wasn't for the sorrow deep in his chest that someone had died right in front of him.

As people ran to the limp body on the ground, screaming for someone to call an ambulance, all Kuroko could think of was one question.

_'What the hell is wrong with me?'_

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><p>So, tell me what you think please! Also, although it might be a little obvious, tell me what you think Kuroko is!<p> 


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